Business Vs. Politics

When Democratie orators talk politics they extol the beauties of tree trarte and the frand and robbery of proteetion. T5ut when they talk business and deign to eonsiderthe material interests of the country, they invariably fall back upön protection, as the only sure foundation of American industries and American wages. The career of the present Democratie administration well illustrates the truth of the above propositions. That administration came into power on the declaration of the Chicago platform that protection is "a fraud and a robbery and unconstitutional." That was politics. But when the Democratie administration was confronted with the responsibility of enacting a new tariff law it was forced to adinit, and did admit, althougfh grudgingly instead of I ! n.-nestly, that protection to American industries is imperatively demanded. That was BUSINKSS. Henee the new tariff law recognizes the truth, the justice and the necessity of the principie of protection for which the Republican party has boldly and hone.stly contented for many a year and thus gives the lie to the Chicago free tra'le platform. Uut while the Democratie tariff lavv in many a provisión recognizes protection as a living principie of national economy, thatlaw is still so fine a sample, of Democratie "how-not-to-do-if as to damage what it even pretends to protect. It is arrant botch work. When the Detroit Frae Press, the leading organ of Michigan Democracy talks I'Oi.itics, it extols the Chicago platform f free trade. Kut when it talks business, it endorses the doctrine of protection as necessary for the fostering and upbuilding of American interests. In its issue of September 8, the Free Press publishes and editorially endorses an interview with Alexander MacGruthar. director of the Standard Pearl IJutton Company, of Detroit, which is a remarkable testimonial to the justice of protection. But the Free l'ress was talking' BUSINESS at that time and not POLITICS - at least not Democratie politics, for it was very good Republican politics. That interview represents Mr. MacGruthar as very much pleased with the amount of "fráud, robbery and unconstitutionality" in the shape of protection afTorded to the industry in whicli he is interested. Tlie Austrian manufacturers had found a way of dodging the old tariff law, by drilling no hole.-; in their buttons and then importing them at a low rate of tariff as "manufacturad pearl,'' instead of buttons, tlius demoralizing the markets. Tlie new law prevenís this dodge and thus, as the Free Press claims, afpobds the PK A RL BUTTON i:Dl STRV MOIÍB TUCTIOX TIIAN THE McKlXLEV LAW I)ID. If the Free Press had be 'n talking politics it would have denounced this as "a fraud and a robbery and unconstitutional," but since it was talking BUSINESS it gloried in the faet that a local faetory had escaped the blight of Democratie free trade. Some of the expressions made by Mr. Macüruthar in this interview so highly endorsed by the Free Press are very pei-tinent. Since they embody good Republican doctrine and are also conimended by the Free Press, the people can safely rely upon them as axioms of sound political economy. Mr. Macüruthar says: "We need some protection, such as is provided in the new bill, for it is difficult to build up an infant industry. The help have to be educated and the expenses oí turning out the goods are consequently greater than they would be if our establishments had been running for generations." This is what the Republican party has claimed for years. And the Free Press endorses it as a good business principie, although it is contrary to Democratie politics. Mr. MacGruthar again says: "It is, of course, impossible for us to compete with Austrian labor. Skilled labor over there, it has been shovvn, receives about S'á per week and our men will not work, nor should they be asked to work, for any such figures. The present tariff bill solves the difficulty nicely í'or both manufacturers and American workracn by providing ampie protection, leaving a er anee for good prolits to the manufacturer aud the opportunity to make liberal earnings for the vvorkman. This is not a matter of politics; it is business." The Republican party has never a.sked the American vvorkman to work for any such vvages and so it erected the proteetive policy as a barrierbetween him and Kuropean wages. The Free Press cornmends that barrier on business principies, although it fails to square vvith Democratie politics. The legitímate eonelusionsare plain. Republican politics and good business policies are synonymous. That is demonstrated. by the course of the Democratie administration in framing its tarifï bilí, and has been conceded by the leading Democratie orgun of the state. Democratie politics not only vary far from good business principies, biit if carried outaredestructive of American industries. That is demonstrated by the cowardice of the Democratie administration inabandoningitsdeclaration of "fraud, robbery and unconstitutionality" and adopting the Republican principie of protection as the basis of nmch of its tarift' lavv, and it is further demonstrated by the admissions of the Free Press. The best interests of the country are safer in the hands of the Republican party, whose policies are based on good business principies, than in the hands of the Democratie party, whose policies are not only contrary to good business principies but even destructive of them.